Tuesday, March 15, 2016

ACL Surgery Recovery - 1st Three Days

Without the pain medication, I awoke early to call some nearby pharmacies and reached a 24-hour Walgreens not too far away that had the medication. Papa and I went there and we waited a bit for the pharmicist to fill the order. She needed my ID, Saipan address and cell phone information so it was necessary for me to be there.

Thanks to Dr. Pham, the anesthesiologist, he gave me a pain block and pain pump so I felt quite good. The CPM (Continuous Passive Motion) machine was delivered in the afternoon which bends and extends my right leg while I sit in front of the TV. Unlike last time, my pain pump area bled a bit more so I only did a bit. My leg bled a bit from the pain pump area so I stopped for the day. Saturday's meals consisted of Reliv shake with a scoop of Reliv Now, 1/2 banana, water, 2 ice cubes and a splash of soy milk plus yogurt with banana, sunflower seeds and almonds for breakfast. Lunch and dinner served more flavorful miso soup, which is about all I could handle with the limited appetite.

I felt better on Sunday so I started the CPM machine for 2.5 hours in the morning with the 55 degree angle and managed to do some work. Medication gets me tired and appetite low. With the cooler weather, I need a blanked around my left leg to keep warm while sitting in the CPM.

Sunday's meals were similar but Mama made a new shrimp and vegetable Chinese type dish for dinner and I ate a good portion for dinner. I sat in the CPM machine at 60 degrees for 2 hours in the evening and cleaned the pain pump entry area with more rubbing alcohol.

Tomorrow, I'll be able to remove the pain pump, which is kind of a pain because it's a small bag with an IV connected through a needle in my lower right thigh.